Sailing Away on Lake Onalaska

We jumped onto the boat clutching our bottles of beer and waited for our directions. Neither of us had sailed before so we had no idea what to expect. Lake Onalaska seemed like a nice place to be a virgin sailor.  Not that we actually sailed.  We talked, we relaxed, occasionally we gybed. Mostly we watched the the sun drop into the lake and shared stories with our friends.

Granted I paid little attention to the actual work involved. When I looked back at this picture, I asked Mike,"What is he doing? Is he raising the sail?" Oblivious.

A series of lock and dams were built throughout the Upper Mississippi River in the 1930's.  Lock and Dam no. 7 was built to dam the Black River. Lake Onalaska was a reservoir created after the Black River was dammed. It's also a great vantage point to view Queen's Bluff off in the distance in Great River Bluffs State Park.

Getting out of the house and joining the natural world sets the stage for a wandering mind. Whether its kayaking or camping, hiking or sailing it's nice to let the mind go. The house and the job and the responsibilities recede. The sky, the breeze, the trees and the water come to the forefront. And for that moment, your suspended.

I almost cropped Mike out of this photo. But I liked his crazy Einstein hair. I'm keeping it real.

We blew one direction. We blew another direction. Brad did something with the sail. And we floated on back to shore.

Lake Onalaska surrounds 3 sides of French Island. On the northern tip of the island, bordering Nelson Park, the La Crosse Sailing Club maintains a series of boat ramps. The club has a pavillion filled with picnic tables and a beautiful view for its members and guests. 

The thing about being on a sailboat, or a boat of any kind, is there often isn't a bathroom aboard. You want to watch the beer consumption or you will live to regret it. Upon reaching shore, I did actually break into a sprint for the outhouse. 

A lake is the landscape's most beautiful

and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into

which the beholder measures the depth

of his own nature.

--Henry David Thoreau